Does Stress Affect Our Immune System

I decided to read the book Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers chapter 8 a chapter we didn’t cover in class. The chapter is named Immunity, stress, and disease which made me interested in the chapter. The reason is because, in the past, I have been sick many times and want to see how stress may impact from someone getting sick. Reading the chapter first thing that caught my attention was how the body’s immune system works. The system is very complex and has many ways to which it protects us from infectious agents. I also learned how stress may inhibit the immune functions, but also there may be other factors that contribute as well. The human immune system fascinates me and I want to learn more about it. The fact is killing bacteria, makes antibodies

The video “Stress Portrait of a Killer” was enlightening. The correlation between each individual’s placement in the hierarchy and their level of stress was not surprising. In fact, it made a great deal of sense. When one is on the lower end of the spectrum, it is a reasonable to anticipate higher levels of stress than when one is at the higher end. The latter, has more control over what is happening in their lives which in turn eliminates that stress. What I found most interesting, is that stress lowers the body’s immunity. I had no idea that the brain cuts non-essential systems like the immune system when stress is present. I found this fact fascinating and rather concerning. For as long as I can remember, I have been very susceptible to

Getting sick is another negative factor of being overly stressed. Chronic stress compromises your immune system and stress hormones affect the body’s ability to fight off illness due to the fact that thymus’s ability to stimulate and coordinate the white blood cell activity.

Another interesting part of this book, talks about the decreased immune response during times of stress. Hans Selye, one of the godfathers of stress physiology, discovered the first evidence of stress-induced immunosuppression back in the 1930s. Selye learned that the same glucocorticoids that are responsible for sympathetic response, was also a large contributor in immune system suppression. Glucocorticoids stop the formation of lymphocytes as well as inhibit the release of interleukins and interferons which make already circulating lymphocytes less responsive to infections. Sapolsky hypothesized why evolution would create this process from happening. He wanted to know why

Immune System: When people are under intense stress for a while, their immune systems may become dysregulated, leading to lower functioning of important white blood cells called lymphocytes and to increased production of C-reactive protein (CRP), a protein that spreads throughout the body and causes inflammation and various illnesses. Some studies suggest that immune system dysregulation of this kind may help produce depression.

Uranus was the very first planet to be discovered since the beginning of recorded history. William Herschel was a man of music, but he was also very interested in astronomy and often studied books about it. His love for astronomy is what ultimately led him to the discovery of the planet.

The biological purpose of the stress response is to help the body to survive either some sort of attack or a serious illness like a stroke or heart attack. During the stress response glucocorticoids divert the bodies energy to the areas necessary for survival like the muscles and the brain and it shuts down the areas that are not necessary for survival like the digestive and immune systems (Sopolsky, 2009). Chronic Stress in this context, is to experience this physical effect on regular or long term basis. This has become a public health issue for humans because we experience this chronic biological response on a too frequent a basis for psychological reasons (Stress, 2008).

Stress has a huge impact on the immune system. The immune system is interconnected. For example the immune, nervous, and endocrine system is linked through specialized communication pathways involving hormones, neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, and immune cell productions. Stress reactions can directly affect the various response systems and how they handle the neuroendocrine-products. This stress reaction directly affects the hypothalamus and pituitary peptides through the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system. Some of these stressors might be life events, anxiety, and excitements.

The effects of stress on the human immune system can cause a variety of diseases and physiological breakdowns. The following article in Psychological Bulletin harmonizes the role of stress in infectious disease as measured either by illness behaviors (symptoms and use of health services) or by verified pathology. Substantial evidence was found for an association between stress and increased illness behavior, and less convincing but provocative evidence was found for a similar association between stress and infectious pathology (Cohen, & Williamson, 1991). In order to help prevent the onset of it is essential that individuals strategize positive stress management techniques. Massage Therapy assists in helping the body relax which synergistically causes the systems of the body to ease during periods of

Slave Narratives give a somewhat accurate description of slavery, because they tell of slavery from a primary source, but those who lived long enough to tell their stories often weren’t subjected to the cruel conditions most slaves were, and the interviews may have been skewed to convey the story that a white southerner wanted to convey. Not all slaves were educated to write about their experiences so there isn’t a full picture.

Stress can get bad enough to where it starts to affect your body system. Things like depression, heart attacks, diseases, rashes and a low immune system can all occur to people dealing with stress bad enough. The number of common signs and symptoms is outrageous and is depressing to see that there are so many people dealing with this and how it’s such a common thing in this world. On stress.org, they talk about the different body systems and how they’re affected. The nervous, musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, gastro and reproductive systems are all affected in some way and in many ways to say the least. If your stress ever gets so bad, I consider seeing a doctor or specialist seeing how dangerous this can get.

Stress And The Immune System The immune system is a very important part of our bodily functions as its main function is to protect the body against millions of antigens, which attack our cells and try to reproduce viruses and diseases. The immune system can protect the body in three different ways, in which are: 1. It creates a barrier that prevents the antigens from initially entering the body. 2.

Stress can also contribute, because stress weakens the immune system. The bidirectional circuit that connects the nervous and immune system malfunctions under stress. The immune system withholds proinflammatory cytokines. Cytokines release chemicals that control inflammation in the body. Stress does not allow Cytokines to regulate the inflammation of nerves. Thus, when the 7th cranial nerve is put under strain and inflames, there is no chemical to release the pressure.

Chronic stress can also interfere with the body’s immune system directly through hormonal changes. Glucocorticoids-a hormone

      Stress can cause many things that affect a healthy body.  Stress causes quick yet shallow breathing in which case, the body's cells are being deprived of oxygen.  Stress will increase cholesterol levels and can also cause indigestion, heartburn, a decreased sex drive, and also arteriosclerosis (the hardening of the arteries).  While these symptoms may seem minimal, stress can decrease the activity of white blood cells.  Since the white blood cells fight off sicknesses and diseases, the immune system is affected by stress and can make the body more susceptible to colds, viruses, flues, and diseases (Morrison 2).